Monday, April 28, 2008

Today was my last Monday at work. Man, does that sound nice to say out loud. I think I've also managed to get rid of pretty much all my evidentiary cases this week. Everything either pled or continued, so that makes this last week all that more enjoyable. I'm actually starting to feel a bit nostalgic about leaving the DA's office...but not enough to stay.

Since I announced my resignation, the Magistrate has been a bit upset...understandably though, given that ALL of his DA's are leaving or have left. I'm moving to American Samoa, Clinton quit and then got offered a part-time gig in intake, and John got moved to cover Lisa's docket. The day I resigned a Google map appeared in chambers with an arrow pointing to American Samoa and in big red letters were the words DROP BOMBS HERE. Then a story appeared about these wild dogs that attacked some tourists on the beach and everywhere they went on the island. I frequently get called to the bench to pick up documents with notes attached that say things like "Australia is attacking American Samoa" and "American Samoa is overrun by land sharks". And now that the Magistrate has learned how much I hate spiders, that has become his new favorite topic of conversation. Apparently, American Samoa is overrun with spiders so big that they eat cats. Or so Lung would have me believe...

I cannot even begin to explain how much I still have left to do. And the days just keep ticking by. I have no earthly idea how Lisa worked up until just days before she flew out. I would absolutely go insane if I did that. As it stands now my apartment looks like either a tornado hit it or I should be one of those horders on a Dr. Phil show. You don't realize just how much stuff you've really got until you pull it all out into the middle of the room. I've got boxes of stuff to ship, boxes to store, boxes to sell, boxes to donate, and boxes to trash. If I don't get rid of this stuff soon, I may end up just chucking it over the balcony.

Oh yeah, get this--I heard today that the office is trying to put me in a house with this random guy named Doug. WTF?!? Luckily Lisa has come to the rescue again and is putting a stop to that. I also was finally able to get someone from the travel agency on the phone today and she said she would reserve me a plane ticket, but I have yet to see anything pop up in my email. Things definitely seem to operate on "island time" down in AS.

Saturday, April 19, 2008

It's been almost a week since I made the decision to drastically change my life. I accepted the position with the AG's office in American Samoa and resigned from the DA's office on Monday April 14th. In six weeks I will be living on an island 25 miles long in the middle of the South Pacific. No one actually though I'd do this. They thought I'd daydream about the adventure, talk about what could be, and generally stew over it, but wouldn't actually pull the trigger. Well, I did pull the trigger and shot a blast that will change my life forever.

There is sooooooo much to do before I leave. This past week, I've made all my doctor's appointments, resigned from the DA's office, started packing, and got my vaccinations (Hep A, Hep B, Polio, Teatnus and Typhoid). Today I'm breaking my lease, quitting the gym, and generally figuring out how to shut my life down here in Colorado. Mom is coming down this morning to help me sort through everything in my apartment. If it's worth the time, effort and $ to pay to store it or ship it, then that's what I'll do. If it doesn't fit into either one of those categories, it's getting sold or donated to charity. Spencer thinks he's going to go on a shopping spree through my apartment and take whatever he wants as "Monaco Donations". Although he's full of it, I will say that the process of streamlining your life and getting rid of all the excess "stuff" is quite liberating.

About Me

I'm an attorney who left her high stress life in Colorado to work and play in American Samoa for two years. I was looking for a change of pace, a change of scenery, and a change in priorities. These are my stories...